Mila & Bailey, Torrance County, NM

A week or so prior, NMDOG received a request for assistance from a concerned citizen, in regards to 2 chained dogs in the Village of Willard, NM – Torrance County. Except Willard is incorporated so they (by incorporation) are responsible for enforcing their own laws…only, when it comes to the animals, they really dont have any. Hold that thought & we will come back to this.

When I reached out to Danette at TCAS, she copied her Officers on the reply & explained their jurisdictional limitations, which we completely understand. But they all really wanted to help these deserving dogs so, TCAS reached out to the Mayor of Willard & got permission to intervene & to implement Torrance County animal welfare codes within the incorporated Village of Willard 😍
TCAS Officer Logan promptly responded to the location & extended support, education & resource options. He switched out their short, tangled chains with lightweight cables, spoke with their guardian about sustenance, shelter, the dangers of chaining & facilitated direct contact between the guardian & NMDOG. He even left straw, food & 5d worth of Panacur for deworming because one of the dogs was extremely thin 🙏 #CanWeJustCloneHim

Once we spoke with the guardian directly, a plan was quickly put into place to get these 2 darlings off of their chains. The behavior of both of these (young, 2yo) dogs was clearly the result of being in “fight” mode & having to defend themselves, their food & their areas from a plethora of dangers they faced day in & day out, over & over & over again 🥲 The behavior took hold of these 2 girls in no time at all & now, they themselves, were a public safety risk. This is not the fault of the dogs, its a direct result of being chained 24/7. We are confident that with each day they are off of their chains & feel safe behind the buffer of their fencing…..these conditioned behaviors will decrease. Dogs have a “fight or flight” instinct – when you take away one, they are forced to rely only on the other. When a dog is chained, they cannot flee from any real or perceived harm that comes to them, so they fight. They fight other dogs, they fight people, they fight cars that speed by, they may even fight the wind & the weather….or they can just completely shut down. Chaining a dog is extremely damaging ~ physically, emotionally & mentally.
And thats where education plays such a critical role in every aspect of the work we do, especially conversations we have with guardians of chained dogs. More times than not…we find that no one has ever shared this kind of information with them & we hope that more & more, it will just become common knowledge. We are so grateful that Mila & Baileys family was open to hearing what we had to share & sharing with us, how deeply they wanted better for their girls. Who…were both already spayed 👏 Way to go Family!!!
All family members (& some neighbors/friends) also pitched in on the day of the build, working right along side of our team in the best interest of their dogs. We have kept in close contact & things are going very well – Mila is gaining weight, they are not lunging & barking like before (they feel safe), their nervous systems are beginning to calm down & they are no longer trying to escape their new fenced areas. #success
Unfortunately, this is not a safe area for Mila & Bailey to be taken for walks, due to the free roaming dogpack situation.
& heres the scoop on that – because you know, #NMDOGvillage….we always say….every new build is like opening a new can of worms. & this one, did not fall short 🤦‍♀️
Just to summarize what we encountered in our short 8hr day in the Village of Willard = the week prior, a pack of 15 dogs took down (& killed) a full size butcher hog. The morning of our build, that same pack of free roaming dogs (known to the community for some time) took down a full grown cow…& killed it too. They then chased down a 9yo girl who, luckily was able to find safety & did not suffer any physical harm. Another pack of 6 loose dogs stalked our team during the fence build, a very pregnant girl from this pack was secured & taken into the Torrance County animal shelter. TCAS Officers returned the following day & safely contained 3 adult & 7 juvenile dogs from the pack of 15, after others were (legally) shot by threatened property owners 💔 Situations such as this are created by irresponsible dog guardians (no spay/neuter, no humane containment, etc) & the absence of animal welfare laws &/or enforcement by those responsible for such things. With proactive action, they can be resolved & communities can be safe for all citizens….animal & human. It starts with local community members who must demand better.
We met Mayor Dean, of Willard, when he brought us a trashcan to use on site (thank you Mr Mayor!) & discussed some solutions to the issues we witnessed. He asked us to install fencing at the Village Hall, which we graciously declined but provided information that will assist the Village in taking care of that & NMDOG direct contact info for any questions they might have 😎 We will freely share any of our 15 years of experience in the field across rural NM with anyone who is interested in listening.
We are so incredibly grateful to Torrance County Animal Services for their “get it done” proactive attitude – not only for their assistance with this case & for taking action to avoid the likely inevitable…another humane fatality report in a small, unenforced rural NM community….but for all they do & are doing daily to improve animal welfare across Torrance County. Whew! We are beyond grateful & we are honored to call them our partners!!
Once again, our very sincere thanks to Mila & Baileys family, for their love of their dogs, for working with us & for doing a great job in the best interest of the girls. It was a pleasure to work with them & we look forward to future follow up to see how far they have all come with the new tools (& knowledge) they now have ❣️ #UNchainMyDog
At NMDOG, we believe all dogs should live inside as part of the family – but we understand that is not the reality for 1000s across the state of NM. Our goal with the NMDOG Fencing Assistance Program is to provide more freedom, safety & a better quality of life for as many chained dogs as we possibly can, while educating their guardians to the dangers of chaining, daily care best practices & empowering them with support & resources 🐶🐶
Fencing projects are not cheap….here is a summary of expenses for Mila & Bailey:
💲 fencing & railroad ties = $3148
💲 tarps, pallets, doghouses/straw, raised outdoor beds = $530
💲 dogfood/treats, toys, water buckets/food bowls, poop scooper, collars + personalized ID tags = $175
💲 hardware, misc supplies, gas reimbursement for non local help, contracted services. lunch & drinks = $680
💲 total itemized cost for this build = $4533.
***some supplies were donated, thanks to MMax and Neo& the #NMDOGvillage ❤ High paws to TTri-West Fence & Gate Ltd. for ensuring we get the best price on our fencing!!